Prospect Spotlight: Travis Taijeron Is Raking In St. Lucie

Travis Taijeron was selected by the New York Mets in the 18th round of the 2011 MLB Draft. Taijeron spent his college years playing for a D-II school, Cal Poly Pomona. His profile on CPP’s website reads:

As a Senior in 2011: Selected as the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) and Daktronics West Region Player of the Year… In the final month of season (April 28 to May 22), hit .542 (32-for-59), got on base at a .674 clip and slugged 1.000… Also in that span, opposing pitchers refused to pitch to him and issued Taijeron 24 walks… Through the 2011 campaign, he launched 16 homeruns to match the program record he set in 2010… Closed his Bronco career with 32 homeruns, which ranks second on the all-time CPP leaderboard… Three-time California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Player of the Week… Named to the NCAA Division II West Region All-Tournament Team after helping the Broncos to the regional championship game.

Taijeron is an interesting prospect, as he is a player that has a ton of potential, but the he will have to prove whether he can hit against advanced pitchers (Double-A and up). This season for St. Lucie, he is the team’s leading hitter (.303), which is also good for eighth in the Florida State League. His OBP ranks third in the league (.398), his SLG ranks second in the league (.562), and his OPS also ranks second in the league (.960).

He is patient at the plate, as his OBP demonstrates — but due to his aggressive swing, he will tend to strike out a bit, as is evident in his 53 strikeouts in 52 games this season.

Taijeron is at the crossroads for a prospect. He has shown that he can do it offensively at the lower levels of the system, but the true test is still in front of him. Can he carry this success to the upper levels of the system, and be standing in left field some day for the Mets? The potential is there, but it is ultimately up to him at this point. If he continues progressing and building off his current success, then he will definitely be in the mix for a job in Flushing in the next couple of years.

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I’m hoping to see a promotion within the next month for Travis to AA, Kevin & Jayce to High A & Cesar to AAA. Let’s try to speed up the process here. I’m also expecting 2 advanced college bats taken with 2 out of the first 3 Mets picks in the draft. Please- DJ Peterson at 11.